Director, Communications

This is a hybrid role based in NACD’s Arlington, VA office, requiring in-office presence Tuesdays through Thursdays each week.

About the role

NACD is the leading membership organization for corporate directors in the United States. The Director, Communications owns NACD’s enterprise brand strategy and communications platform, strengthening NACD’s market position, protecting organizational reputation, and increasing member and stakeholder trust. This role leads external communications (earned media, thought leadership, executive visibility, and social storytelling) and internal communications (employee and chapter communications, leadership messaging, and channel governance). As a senior leader within Marketing, the Director operates as an enterprise partner, aligning brand, growth marketing, membership, certification, events, and advisory priorities into one coherent narrative and ensuring disciplined execution with strong fiscal stewardship.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise brand strategy and positioning: define and evolve NACD’s brand narrative, positioning, messaging architecture, and brand guardrails across key audiences and segments.
• Enterprise initiative campaigns: lead integrated campaigns for signature programs and priorities (e.g., Blue Ribbon Commission, Directorship 100), ensuring clear narrative, cross-channel execution, and consistent messaging.
• Strategic communications and PR: set annual communications strategy tied to enterprise priorities; lead proactive and reactive media strategy; manage press releases, statements, and communications planning.
• Reputation and risk management: serve as a trusted counselor to executive leadership on sensitive issues; build decision frameworks and rapid response protocols; coordinate cross-functional crisis communications as needed.
• Executive visibility and leadership communications: drive a disciplined, year-round executive visibility program across LinkedIn, speaking opportunities, bylines, interviews, and internal messaging; ensure leadership voice is aligned to strategy.
• Thought leadership and content platform: oversee the newsroom/editorial approach, governance content campaigns, and strategic storytelling; ensure content supports both human audiences and AI-driven discovery.
• Internal communications: own internal communications strategy and operating cadence; improve channel discipline and message ROI; support change management for enterprise initiatives; partner with HR/Ops on employee engagement and leadership messaging.
• Creative and agency leadership: lead internal and external creative/PR resources; set clear briefs, service levels, and performance expectations; ensure creative output is on-brand, high-quality, and efficient.
• Measurement and insights: define success metrics for brand, communications, and internal comms; establish reporting cadence that ties visibility and engagement to enterprise outcomes.
• Fiscal and operational stewardship: own budgets, forecasting, vendor contracts, and spend accountability; make tradeoffs and resourcing recommendations consistent with a lean organization.
• People leadership: lead and develop a high-performing team; set clear expectations and feedback; build capability across writing, strategy, stakeholder management, and execution discipline.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, Marketing, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in communications, including team management and cross-functional influence.
• Demonstrated success building and executing brand and communications strategies that drive measurable visibility, engagement, and trust.
• Deep expertise in media relations, executive communications, thought leadership, and digital-first storytelling (including social platforms).
• Experience leading internal communications strategy, including channel governance and change communications.
• Strong business acumen, including budget ownership, vendor management, and resource prioritization.
• Exceptional writing and editorial judgment; ability to translate complex strategy into clear, compelling messaging for diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to lead in a matrixed environment with professionalism, calm judgment, and strong stakeholder management.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in membership associations, education, or professional services organizations.
• Familiarity with corporate governance, boardroom audiences, or executive education markets.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $170,000–$185,000 plus bonus potential. Compensation is based on several factors including education, work experience, and certifications.